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Chapter 5
As the door closed, it almost felt as though she could still sense Krimu’s presence inside.
“Young Master isn’t feeling well. I think he’s coming down with a cold.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I was just about to send for a doctor.”
“Then we should inform the Duke.”
At the mention of the Duke, the nanny frowned slightly.
“I’ll report it myself. It isn’t a serious cold—just a slight fever.”
“I see.”
“Lady Marianne, you should hurry and have your meal. It’s getting late.”
The nanny, who looked to be fairly old, seemed to be growing irritated by Marianne’s endless questions.
Just then, someone called from behind her.
It was Britta, her personal maid.
“Miss, the dining room is this way.”
Even the guard knight who had gone the opposite direction seemed to be returning after hearing the commotion.
Not wanting to become the center of another strange rumor, Marianne quietly followed Britta.
The next morning, everyone gathered in the dining room.
The Duke and Shevert looked noticeably tired, as though they had returned very late the previous night.
Across from Marianne sat Krimu, who looked especially dejected.
He looked like he was crying yesterday… His eyes are still a little swollen.
No matter how troublesome the little brat usually was, seeing him like this made her worry a little.
Did he cry because he missed his mother?
Perhaps he did that every night.
Of course, his father—the Duke of Kereis—didn’t seem to care in the slightest.
Growing up in an environment like this, Krimu would eventually become the youngest of the infamous Kereis brothers, fully living up to their terrifying reputation.
Whenever trouble arose, he would simply overpower everyone with brute strength.
That vicious, beast-like personality would define him.
Pushing aside thoughts of that dreadful future, Marianne stuffed a forkful of soft, tender meat into her mouth.
That afternoon, wanting to clear her head, Marianne called for Britta.
The brown-haired maid with bright, sparkling eyes hurried over immediately.
Compared to the maid who had looked after her at the Count’s estate, Britta was unbelievably hardworking and kind.
More importantly, she was so gentle that Marianne found herself wondering if someone like her could really exist in the Duke of Kereis’s household.
When Marianne had casually asked before, Britta had admitted that she had only recently arrived herself and was still getting used to the place.
Oh? Maybe we can become friends.
That alone made Marianne like her.
A maid who hadn’t yet been tainted by the Kereis household.
Perfect. She could be Marianne’s person.
With Britta’s help, Marianne settled into a warm bath.
“Ahh… This feels amazing. I almost want someone to scrub all the dead skin off.”
“Dead skin…?”
“…!”
Marianne froze.
She had unconsciously used an expression from her previous world.
Usually, those kinds of slips happened only when she was alone.
But because Britta stayed by her side constantly, taking such good care of her, Marianne often forgot she wasn’t actually alone.
“N-No, nothing. I just meant it feels nice.”
Before Britta could ask any more questions, Marianne submerged herself completely beneath the warm water.
The first time she’d done this, Britta had panicked.
Now that it had become a habit whenever Marianne bathed, she no longer reacted.
Closing her eyes, Marianne let the muffled silence of the water envelop her.
Thoughts drifted through her mind like waves.
Krimu.
The Kereis family.
The murderer.
Triya’s fate.
Ron.
“Pwah!”
She burst back above the surface, spraying water from her mouth.
Water sloshed over the edge of the bathtub.
Britta stepped aside just in time before handing her a towel.
“You’ve stayed under longer than usual today. Perhaps you should come out now?”
“Yeah… I think I should.”
After finishing her bath, Marianne sat in front of the mirror.
As Britta dried her hair, Marianne found herself thinking once again how wonderful it was to be a noble.
The best part about being reincarnated into this world was that people waited on her hand and foot.
She didn’t have to lift a finger.
The servants prepared her meals.
They drew her baths.
They even dried her hair.
It really was luxury.
“Miss, your hair is absolutely beautiful.”
Britta couldn’t stop admiring Marianne’s long crimson hair.
Marianne had to agree.
A small, adorable body.
A pretty face.
Glossy, silky red hair.
Some things really were simply gifts from birth.
Considering that she’d had naturally frizzy hair in her previous life, she wanted to give this appearance a perfect score.
Smiling proudly at her reflection, Marianne noticed Britta giggling.
Suddenly, she asked,
“By the way… would you like this?”
A slice of butter cake sat on the table.
It was topped with a cherry preserved in sweet honey.
It had been served as dessert after lunch, but Marianne had intentionally left it untouched.
She’d noticed the longing expression on Britta’s face.
“…Me?”
“Mm-hmm. My stomach doesn’t feel very well today. But if I send it back untouched, the chef will probably be disappointed, don’t you think?”
“Well… that’s true, but…”
“It’s just the two of us here. Go ahead.”
Britta hesitated.
Seeing that, Marianne walked over herself and held out the plate and fork.
“Then let’s share it. I’ll only take one bite.”
Only then did Britta nod.
She waited until Marianne had taken a bite before carefully tasting the cake herself, savoring every mouthful as though it were something she’d never had before.
Watching her made Marianne’s heart ache.
Maybe I should take back what I said earlier about nobles having the best lives.
When one person lived comfortably, someone else inevitably bore the hardship.
Perhaps that was simply how the world worked.
Even so, Marianne believed people should at least have enough kindness to consider others’ feelings.
“It was hard adjusting to such an unfamiliar place… but having you here has been incredibly reassuring, Britta.”
“Miss…”
“I mean it. We haven’t been together very long… but thank you.”
With a little whipped cream still clinging to the corner of her mouth, Britta set down her fork, deeply moved.
“I’m the one who’s grateful to you, Miss.”
“To me?”
“Yes. I arrived at this mansion around the same time you did, and honestly… I was terrified. The moment I saw you, I volunteered to become your personal maid.”
“Really?”
“Yes. You looked so small and adorable… and I felt sure you must be kind-hearted.”
“Pfft.”
Britta’s embarrassingly sincere compliment made Marianne laugh.
So you really are a good judge of character.
Feeling rather pleased with herself, Marianne shamelessly wanted to hear more.
“So? Tell me more. What was your first impression of me?”
Britta answered with complete seriousness.
“I think the word ‘cute’ was invented specifically for you, Miss.”
The two of them laughed together for quite some time.
Then, as if something had suddenly occurred to her, Britta spoke again.
“Come to think of it, quite a few maids joined the household around the same time I did.”
“Really?”
“Yes. As you know, the Duke of Kereis’s household has incredibly strict standards.”
She wasn’t wrong.
In the time Marianne had spent here, she hadn’t seen so much as a speck of dust.
Sometimes she even wondered if the Duke suffered from obsessive cleanliness.
“So most people don’t even last a year before quitting. This time, a whole group resigned at once. That’s why two maids for cleaning the halls and I were hired together. Oh, that’s right—they also hired a new nanny.”
“A new nanny?”
“Yes. Young Master Krimu’s nanny.”
Britta finished the last bite of cake and stared at the now-empty plate.
Marianne watched her, but her thoughts were elsewhere.
She remembered the nanny she’d seen the previous night.
That gentle-looking face…
Yet somehow mixed with irritation and annoyance.
“What happened to the previous nanny?”
“She went home for a while to visit her daughter. So they hired the current nanny as a replacement.”
“I see. Is she married?”
“Yes… although…”
Even though they were alone in the room, Britta lowered her voice to a whisper.
“They say she ran away from home after having an affair with another man… without her husband’s knowledge.”
“An affair… and she ran away?”
A strange feeling settled in Marianne’s chest.
Still, she tried to calm herself.
Rumors were only rumors.
They weren’t necessarily true.
After all, she’d been the victim of ridiculous gossip herself not long ago.
Even so…
She couldn’t ignore the uneasy feeling nagging at her.
She decided she’d keep a close eye on Krimu’s new nanny.
“I’d like to go out for a while.”
Marianne spoke to the Duke with a nervous heart.
Since she couldn’t remember everything yet, she couldn’t simply remain trapped inside the mansion forever.
After several days of deliberation, she’d finally reached that decision.
The Duke slowly looked up from the documents he was reading.
His usual lazy, emotionless gaze settled on her.
“And why do you wish to go out?”
“I’d like to buy some dresses.”
It was the most convincing excuse she could think of.
Marianne was thirteen years old now.
It was only natural for a girl her age to want pretty clothes.
The Duke replied in a way that somehow didn’t match his completely expressionless face.
“A sensible idea. You didn’t bring many belongings when you came here.”
He agreed surprisingly easily.
He even gave her spending money.
Staring blankly at the heavy pouch now resting in her hands, Marianne turned to the butler.
“He’s really giving me this much?”
“The Duke happened to see you gently touching one of the flower vases in the hall a few days ago. Hoho.”
“…!”
“So he ordered us to give you an allowance equal to the vase’s value.”
The butler smiled before adding,
“He also said, ‘Now that she’s part of the House of Kereis, she can’t go around living like a beggar.'”
When was that…?
It had been shortly after she’d first arrived at the mansion.
She’d been absentmindedly touching all the glittering, expensive decorations while thinking,
I could probably steal just a few of these and live comfortably for years.
Who would’ve guessed that little action would lead to this?
Jackpot…! I should’ve touched even more things!
Clutching the money pouch excitedly, Marianne’s joy lasted only until she finally realized the full situation.
The Duke hadn’t merely approved her outing.
He had ordered a huge entourage of attendants, maids, and guards to accompany her.
Father… I only said I wanted to go shopping…!
Looking out from the carriage at the long procession following behind her, Marianne’s face burned bright red.
Unable to bear the embarrassment, she squeezed her eyes tightly shut.
